We place so much importance upon travel because experiencing different places and engaging with new communities of people is at the heart of leading an inquisitive life. And yet travel doesn’t come without complications: There is a need for personal reflection on what it means to travel responsibly and to learn how to reflect properly on the type of personal growth which can come from such exposure.

This interdisciplinary writing course exposes students to the general characteristics of travel writing as its own genre and discusses fundamental topics and issues within this area. These topics include, but are not limited to, defining travel writing; the ethics of travel writing, including traveling during global warming and exploring the unfamiliar; travel writing as a form of multidisciplinary academic inquiry; and discussing frequently explored material within travel writing.

Students will immerse themselves in the practice of travel writing as well. There will be weekly readings as well as in- and out-of-class writing assignments throughout the semester. The students will work on their own travel writing essay as a final project. The course will also include a writing workshop component; students will share a draft of their essay with classmates and receive feedback from them before the final draft is due. The aim of the workshop would be to help the students understand the strengths and shortcomings of their essay as it’s being composed.

Coordinator

Wade Geary

Timetable

All lectures will take place on-campus and we assume you can be physically present during the scheduled hours. You can find the timetable on Datanose.

Course registration

Registration is possible for students participating in an Honours program. The registration period for the Honours courses will be from Thursday, June 4, 10:00 am to Tuesday, June 9, 11:59 pm. You can register through the online registration form that will appear on Honoursmodules IIS. (registration is NOT through SIS)

Please note: Placement is not guaranteed if you register after June 9, so make sure you register on time. You will hear which course(s) you are registered for before the end of June 

For questions about registration, please contact us at: Honours-iis@uva.nl.